PSEUDO-FINSLERIAN SPACE–TIMES AND MULTIREFRINGENCE

Abstract

Ongoing searches for a quantum theory of gravity have repeatedly led to the suggestion that space–time might ultimately be anisotropic (Finsler-like) and/or exhibit multirefringence (multiple signal cones). Multiple (and even anisotropic) signal cones can be easily dealt with in a unified manner, by writing down a single Fresnel equation to simultaneously encode all signal cones in an even-handed manner. Once one gets off the signal cone and attempts to construct a full multirefringent space–time metric the situation becomes more problematic. In the multirefringent case we shall report a significant no-go result: in multirefringent models there is no simple or compelling way to construct any unifying notion of pseudo-Finsler space–time metric, different from a monorefringenent model, where the signal cone structure plus a conformal factor completely specifies the full pseudo-Riemannian metric. To throw some light on this situation we use an analog model where both anisotropy and multirefringence occur simultaneously: biaxial birefringent crystal. But the significance of our results extends beyond the optical framework in which (purely for pedagogical reasons) we are working, and has implications for any attempt at introducing multirefringence and intrinsic anisotropies to any model of quantum gravity that has a low energy manifold-like limit.